Riversdale Fancy Dress Ball

The lovely Riversdale House had a fancy dress regency ball in October, the weekend our friend Conley was in town, so we got tickets.

I didn’t have time to sew anything new, but since I did have a 1790s gown that was based on a fashion plate, I called it good enough!

Here’s the house:



This is the fashion plate:



My gown:



Conley borrowed a drawstring gown:

Poor Doug needs another waistcoat and another coat, but I just haven’t had time to do anything about it. :-( At least he has different colored socks that we picked up at Fort Fred.







They had a picture frame so you could get your portrait. That was kind of fun!





Jess:

Jane Austen Ball

Ah, the August ball at Gadsbys. It was perhaps the hottest day of the year and despite AC, it was so so so hot. And after the ball, when going outside for air… no relief. 10pm and it was just as hot outside as in. Brutal day. We did our best to enjoy, but it was a tough one. As a result, there are only a few photos and we look terribly sweaty in all of them.

Before the ball!



My new wheat tiara. I couldn’t find an ebay link since they don’t keep much of a history. Sorry. :-(



Georgian rings from CJ Antiques Ltd:









And so it begins.















The traditional hedgehog:

Victorian Seaside Party

Because of our family vacation getting switched to August due to one niece becoming a teacher and getting out of school late, I had the silver lining of getting to go to Kat’s Victorian picnic, which this year had a Seaside theme. It was nautical and really fun.

At first I wasn’t sure what I had that would work, costume-wise, especially for a hot summer day. Though a bustle gown is on my someday list, my sewing time/mojo these days is at an ebb. Edwardian was on the table and I thought maybe my Jump dress, but the beading on that is so heavy that it had stretched out the fabric and I couldn’t walk in it. (I did ended up fixing it later on by moving up some of the beading but I didn’t have time for that.) Then I remembered! I had bought a Fan Plus Friend Boarding Suit, because the price (I think I even got it on sale) was so good I couldn’t pass it up.

http://fan-store.net/edwardian-era-titanic-roses-blue-white-jacket-long-skirt-travel-outfit/

All it needed was a shirt and tie, and I figured I could do without the giant hat.

Since it was going to be a million degrees, I wore a t-shirt under it, no corset, and I made a dickey out of an old thrift store men’s shirt I had originally used for my Harry Potter costume. It was really big on me anyway, so I didn’t mind sacrificing it. I didn’t have an accurate tie, so my husband gave me his darkest one, which turned out to have dinosaurs on it, but those were a nice hidden Easter egg that didn’t show. I had screen accurate earrings and a tie pin and I wore American Duchess shoes and wore my Titanic comb, and used my replica bag and I was good to go!

Since then I did find a dickey that is perfect and close to screen accurate so I will look even better next time!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019MR61OU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also bought this tie:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R3YV0VO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kat kindly gave me use of her giant hat! And I used my little ebay Victorian-ish umbrella for the first time.



I also did use my “Miss Fisher-esque” sunglasses that Judy found at (I think) Forever 21.





Gloria!



The decorations were so fab!







Kat had beautifully puffy sleeves:









I think this is Kat’s photo? Mike’s? I lost the photo credit on it somewhere. Let me know if it’s yours.



Same with these:





I love these American Duchess shoes!



Better shot of tie pin and earrings.











With the hat:



















Group pic with the Fabulosity Club flag!



Full group pic:









And croquet!



Then this happened:



This little girl came running over to fan Kat!